FINE ART: 'Matisse in the Studio' offers a peek into the mind behind the masterpieces

Saturday

Apr 8, 2017 at 7:00 AMApr 9, 2017 at 10:27 AM

In “Matisse in the Studio” at the Museum of Fine Arts, his works are exhibited near objects that inspired him. According to the exhibit's introduction, these masks, sculptures and textiles “held particular, and deeply personal, relevance for the artist,” and he valued them “for the emotions they could awaken in him.”

By Jody Feinberg/The Patriot Ledger

When an artist is as popular as Henri Matisse, it’s exciting when an exhibit presents a different perspective. In “Matisse in the Studio” at the Museum of Fine Arts, his works are exhibited near objects he kept in his studio – mostly from Africa and the Middle East – that inspired him. Not simply props, these masks, sculptures and textiles “held particular, and deeply personal, relevance for the artist,” and he valued them “for the emotions they could awaken in him,” according to the exhibit’s introduction.

In borrowing from other cultures, Matisse used abstraction, bold color, flat depths, and decorative backgrounds in works that shaped the course of modern art.

“When people think of Matisse, they think of France,” said co-curator Ellen McBreen, a Wheaton College art professor who conceived of the concept for the exhibit. “One revelation is that many of his ideas came to him from outside France, and he transformed them. Modern art, which he helped invent, was a cultural hybrid.”

With many items on loan from museums and private collections, the exhibit offers a rare opportunity to see works previously only shown in France and to see art and objects reunited as they were in his studio in Nice. The exhibition is organized by the MFA and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, in partnership with the Musée Matisse in Nice, and will travel to London after it closes July 9 in Boston.

Along with 36 paintings, the exhibit has 26 drawings, 11 bronzes, nine cut-outs and three prints, reflective of the breadth of Matisse’s artistry and his evolution over a lifetime. Placing nearly 40 objects near the art work they inspired, the curators present five themes: “The Object Is An Actor,” “The Nude,” “The Face,” “Studio as Theatre” and “Essential Forms.”

A Spanish green glass vase and a French silver chocolate pot (both on view) are central actors in a series of paintings. Their curved handles and shape evoke the female body in his intimate still lives “Vase of Flowers” and “Bouquet of Flowers in a Chocolate Pot,” which Picasso purchased.

In his nudes, Matisse expressed abstract, rather than realistic, portrayals of the body, which he saw in African sculpture and which challenged traditional depictions. According to the text, Matisse “sought to convey a different kind of reality – that of emotional authenticity.”

The influence of African sculptures can be seen in his paintings “Woman on a High Stool” and “Seated Figure with Violet Stocking.” Like the figures (on view) from the Vili Kingdom of Central Africa and the Fang region in Equatorial Guinea, these women have straight posture and an elongated torso.

Similarly, Matisse did not seek to convey realism in portraits, but rather identity and character. Inspired by Punu, Yoruba and Kuba masks (on view), he painted the face of his daughter Marguerite with flattened features, almond shaped eyes, and a profile nose. In his “Head of Jeannette” sculptures, he progressed from naturalistic to abstract.

“In giving up likeness, he was able to achieve something much more profound,” said Helen Burnham, the MFA’s curator of prints and drawings.

The most exotic and eye-catching gallery is Studio as Theatre, where an Egyptian khayamiyan – a patterned fabric curtain – and two North African haitis – pierced and appliquéd cotton textiles – dominate three walls. Inspired by these vividly colored and patterned textiles, Matisse painted female figures against decorative backgrounds, which gave the paintings beauty and a feeling of pleasure. In “The Moorish Screen,” an intricate blue and green screen is a companion to two women in conversation. In “Interior with Egyptian Curtain,” a bowl of lemons is set against a colorful, patterned curtain and a window entirely filled with the view of palm tree fronds.

“These (textiles) freed him and gave the paintings vitality,” McBreen said. “The figure does not dominate, but is an equal part of the composition.”

In the Essential Forms gallery, most of the works are from the end of Matisse’s career, when he turned to drawing and decorative cut-outs as he sought “the most minimal means to express something powerful.” The drawing of “The Acrobat,” is essentially several lines, and “Mimosa,” is a vibrant tree and leaf cut-out. It strongly resembles the characters in a Chinese calligraphy panel hung next to it.

“One of the things I find so moving is that he survived stomach cancer, and you see this expression of joy in being alive in his vivid colors and simplicity,” said McBreen. “He’d arrived at a point where he could express so much with so little.”

To McBreen, Matisse also illustrates the importance of cultural exchange to creativity.

“Without new influences, you say the same thing over and over,” she said. “I like to say that Matisse’s studio had open borders.”

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.MATISSE IN THE STUDIO April 9 to July 9 at the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, mfa.org